Work Text:
Makoto was, for the first time in a long time, simply content.
The rumble of the RV beneath her… the joyful discussions of the Phantom Thieves behind her… the pleasures of Sendai only just coming to a close, with Sapporo coming soon… and Ann’s favorite pop playlist in the sound system. Things felt simple… just like her life hadn’t been since a certain delinquent came to Shujin a year and some change ago.
She took some time to enjoy this moment… Before another intense discussion commenced behind her.
“I mean, it’s fun to listen to as like, background noise, but it ain’t worth obsessing over…” Ryuji grumbled.
“What!? Are you kidding?? You can’t tell me you’ve never sang along to ‘Shake it Off!’” Ann rebuked from her seat next to Makoto. “It’s the song of, like, all our childhoods!”
“Uh… who made that song again?”
“It’s hard to be as uncultured as you, Ryuji,” Morgana mocked him, clearly just taking Ann’s side.
“Oh yeah? Can YOU tell me who made ‘Shake It Off?’”
“…Um…”
“I thought not, ya furball!”
“Ugh… friggin normies,” Futaba muttered from the corner. Unfortunately, she wasn’t quiet enough.
“What do you mean, ‘normies!?’” Ann shot back. “What’s your playlist full of, 8-bit soundtracks from 40 year old games?”
“Excuse you!” Futaba exclaimed, before growing quiet again. “They’re 35 year old games…”
“I’ll admit, I don’t have much input here because I grew up with classical music,” Haru confessed. “Chopin, Beethoven, Mozart… they were simply played at my home, but then I began listening to it of my own accord. It’s quite calming.”
“Eh, can’t relate,” Ryuji added. “Most of my music is just rap. I like the rhythms n’ lyrics n’ shit, y’know?”
“Yeah, I can get that,” Ann agreed. “How about you, Yusuke? What do you like?”
Yusuke thought for a moment. “I don’t believe I have a favorite genre. However, I do enjoy a song that moves me, that feels triumphant. A song that makes my very soul soar into the stratosphere!”
“That's, like… the least specific thing I’ve heard all month,” Ryuji admitted.
“What!? Surely you must know the music I speak of!” Yusuke argued.
“Nope. Sorry, Yusuke.” Ryuji turned to their leader. “What about you, Ren? What’s your playlist like?”
“Well… I like a lot of things,” Ren explained. “It goes from rap, to pop, to rock, to electronic…”
“Jeez, way to be cookie cutter,” Futaba quipped. An insulted gasp came from Ren in response.
“How about you, Mako-chan?” Haru asked their driver, turning in her seat. “Do you have any particular music taste?”
This caught Makoto by surprise. She wasn’t expecting to give input to many of their conversations at all, if any. So the question of her music taste of all things certainly threw her for a loop. “O-oh… um…”
“Oh yeah! I’ve always wondered what you listened to, Makoto,” Ann added.
“Yeah! I never saw you with headphones or anything at school,” Ryuji noted.
Makoto attempted to interject. “Well, that’s because-”
“Perhaps she’s in the same boat as Haru,” Yusuke wondered aloud. “I could picture the Niijima household playing primarily classical music.”
“That’s true!” Haru beamed. “Sae-san does seem to have that taste.”
“Uh, guys-”
“Well? Spill the beans!” Futaba ordered, interrupting Makoto once again. “Or better yet, put on your playlist for us!”
“Oooh, good idea!” Ann agreed. “The driver should be the DJ after all! Want me to set it up for you?”
“Well, I, um…” Makoto was too flustered not to stutter. “Y-you guys probably wouldn’t like it. It’s a… it’s an acquired taste.”
“Y’think that’s stopped any of us before?” Ryuji grinned. “C’mon, it’ll be fun!”
“I…” Makoto let out a defeated sigh. “Alright. Go ahead, Ann.” At Makoto’s approval, Ann plugged Makoto’s phone into the sound system, Makoto unlocking her phone for the blonde. Ann proceeded to find the girl’s music app, and press play on the first playlist that appeared.
Giving Makoto the aux was… not the best idea.
The speakers immediately erupted with complex, distorted guitars and explosive drums that could be mistaken for machine gun fire.
“Oh no,” Makoto muttered to herself. “Not this playlist…!”
After around a minute of the instruments, a roaring voice joined the cacophony, some in the camper unsure whether or not they had accidentally summoned a demon.
In spite of the chaos coming from the speakers, and her own worries of sharing such music with her teammates, some of the passengers noticed Makoto gently bobbing her head, and even tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. “Holy crap,” Ryuji whispered in awe. “She’s rockin out to this!”
“I’m not sure there’s anything Holy about this!” Morgana replied, in shock over the dissonance from the speakers.
Makoto couldn't hear them, the chugging guitars and blast beats filling her mind… and giving it an odd, yet familiar sense of ease. The music, the rumble of the RV, and the road all seemed to put her in a trance to the other passengers. She was enjoying herself, all the way to the moment Ann snapped her out of it.
“Well, this, uh…” Ann nervously started, “This certainly was a surprise. What’s it called?”
“I’m kinda scared to find out,” Ren confessed.
“Well… this song is called ‘King of Undisputed Nonsense’ by a Swedish band called Soreption,” she answered confidently, without even needing to check her phone. “It’s… one of the less intense songs on this playlist.”
“For real??” Ryuji exclaimed.
“I must agree with Ryuji on this. For real?” Yusuke added.
“First time for everything, huh?"
“I told you guys you wouldn’t like it…” Makoto sighed dejectedly.
“I like it!” Haru cheerfully offered. For obvious reasons, this sentiment turned heads. “I’d want to hear a bit more, if you don’t mind.”
“Nonononononono,” Futaba butted in. “Any more and literal demons might show up!”
“Perhaps we don’t see what Makoto appreciates about this kind of music?” Yusuke pondered.
“Haru does, apparently,” Ryuji noted. “…Actually, y’know what, I’m curious too. The hell’s more intense than this?”
“You sure you wanna find out?” Makoto wearily quipped.
Ryuji gulped in fear, so Ren responded in his stead. “One more song, then we’ll see how people feel. Deal?”
Morgana sighed, “Fine…”
“Yay!” Haru softly cheered, to the anxiety of the rest of the Phantom Thieves, for varying reasons.
“Well, you agreed to this,” Makoto pointed out. Soon after, ‘King of Undisputed Nonsense’ came to a close, and she physically prepared herself for whatever song would come up next.
“Phew! Is it over?” Ryuji asked, relieved, and oblivious. “I can’t imagine something as-”
He’d find himself eating his words as the next song exploded onto the speakers with an even more violent opening than the first.
Makoto sighed, hanging her head in acceptance of her fate. “Of course it had to be ‘Death Squad Anthem’ next…” She muttered quietly.
Before anyone could mention the intensity, the passengers heard a voice roar “IF THE MOB WANTS BLOOD, THEN THEY’LL FUCKING GET IT,” further silencing any comments for the rest of the song.
After what felt like an eternity of double bass drums and breakdowns to Makoto, the song quickly faded out, and the girl swiftly unplugged her phone from the aux cord. This, unsurprisingly, wasn’t met with much protest.
“So… I’m assuming we’ve gotten our fill of that?” Morgana attempted to calm the room.
“Though I believe all people are entitled to their own taste in music… I must agree with Morgana,” Yusuke seconded.
“Felt like someone was putting jackhammers in my ears…” Ryuji joked weakly. “Though that drummer’s gotta be a spider or somethin’.”
“And that singer definitely wasn’t from earth,” Ann added.
“The solos were nice, at least,” Ren half-heartedly attempted to take Makoto’s side.
“Reminds me of those depictions of hell you see in movies… and not in the good way,” Futaba grumbled.
Hearing everyone bashing on Makoto’s taste, Haru decided to speak her mind, a cross look on her face. “Well, it reminds me of how I feel during battle! It gives me the urge to violently destroy any enemy who dares oppose the Phantom Thieves!” She stated proudly, garnering a stunned silence in the cabin.
“Uh… in the good way?” Makoto asked curiously, looking at Haru.
Haru turned to her, the cross look turning to a warm smile. “Mhm! In the good way.”
“I… Thanks, Haru.” Makoto smiled back, before turning back to the road, and muttering to herself, “I’m glad someone shares my weird taste.”
The ride continued in silence for a while, until Ann spoke up once more. “Soooo… would anyone mind if I put my music back on?”
“That’d be great,” Makoto answered with a relieved smile.
"Of course!" Haru agreed.
“Eh, why not?” Ryuji added happily.
“Yes please!” Futaba responded.
“Sounds like a plan,” Ren concluded. “Ann, be our DJ.”
“You got it!” Ann plugged her phone back in, and as Katy Perry took back control over the speakers, Makoto felt glad today had been a learning experience for all of them. For everyone else, what music she listened to, and for her, to never accept the aux cord ever again, from anyone.
Well, maybe from Haru.